Strider could certainly have used a third game to bring the plot of 2 into more focus and tie it in with the original more But yes, the way the Splatterhouse trilogy builds on its story elements each game is handled pretty well. The US manual stories add some nice elements, but they certainly add some more layers of confusion as well - the timeline gets very screwy thanks to the additions/revisions of Splatterhouse 2, for instance.

But then, they also add in interesting details like Rick gaining his fortune on Wall Street (actually kind of believable, given the late 80's/early 90's time period, the quick turn around from parapsychology student to mansion owner, and also perhaps Rick being left with a more ruthless streak thanks to his exposure to the Terror Mask). And I believe the Mesoamerican origins of the Terror Mask might be wholly from the US manuals as well.

Beat em Ups were an arcade staple back when I was a kid, and I used to play a fair few at the corner shop which had arcade machines - and they really worked well as an arcade experience, IMO, especially when they had big flashy graphics and sounds, and the option to have three, four or even six(!) players at once!

It wouldn't be an 80's video game timeline if it didn't had some degree of screwy . The Splatterhouse 3 addition were also rather nicely done, since they picked up on what the game showed and expanded with details the JP version didn't clarify, such as the reason behind that big a mansion. While true not all additions did this seamlessly, in the end they really feel in harmony with the game you are seeing/playing.

You were lucky. The Arcades in my childhood were 80% fighting games and nothing else. Not that I'm complaining, going there with my dad and brother and try my best to beat Mortal Kombat 4 and Dead or Alive, or go beyond the 3rd battle in Tekken 2, was great time. There are still Arcades around, but now they are all outdated dance and racing types now. Bleh.

We seemed to get a pretty good selection of different types of arcade games in the general store, fish and chip shop and Mobil service station where I lived growing up - TMNT, Willow, Cadash, Snow Bros, Toki...

Just revisiting the Splatterhouse series because I wanted to talk about the Terror Mask itself - specifically, the design(s) of the Terror Mask, and how it has changed over the course of the series.

On the West Mansion fan site there is a great image which shows the 'evolution' of the Terror Mask throughout the classic series, which can be found here. Even though the Terror Mask itself is one of the most important parts of the Splatterhouse franchise, it went through substantial redesigns not just in pretty much every game that it appeared in, but also between regions were the games were released as well!

I assume that canonically the final Terror Mask design of Splatterhouse 3 is meant to be what it 'always' looked like, retroactively replacing the earlier designs as the 'true' Terror Mask appearance (and indeed, there was a release of Splatterhouse for mobile phones which updated the Terror Mask to the 2010 design), although in my 'head-canon' I prefer to think that the Terror Mask actually has evolved throughout the series, from the hockey-mask like original to the more 'monstrous' design that it currently has. It is, after all, a demonic entity in itself, so why couldn't its appearance change as the series progresses?

Anyway, does anyone else have any thoughts on the Terror Mask and its various designs? Obviously, there's something very elegant and catching about the original design - after all, it worked so well for Jason Vorohees! - but there have been other interesting designs for the Mask as well, none of which really compliment the Aztec origins presented in the US manuals, except maybe the skull like mask used in the English version of Splatterhouse 2.